New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island), and numerous smaller islands, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands. The indigenous Māori language name for New Zealand is Aotearoa, commonly translated as land of the long white cloud. The Realm of New Zealand also includes the Cook Islands and Niue (self-governing but in free association); Tokelau; and the Ross Dependency (New Zealand's territorial claim in Antarctica).
New Zealand is notable for its geographic isolation; it is situated about southeast of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and its closest neighbours to the north are New Caledonia, Fiji and Tonga. During its long isolation New Zealand developed a distinctive fauna dominated by birds, a number of which became extinct after the arrival of humans and the mammals they introduced.
The majority of New Zealand's population is of European descent; the indigenous Māori are the largest minority. Asians and non-Māori Polynesians are also significant minority groups, especially in urban areas. The most commonly spoken language is English.
New Zealand is a developed country that ranks highly in international comparisons on many topics, including lack of corruption, high educational attainment and economic freedom. Its cities also consistently rank among the world's most liveable.
Elizabeth II, as the Queen of New Zealand, is the country's head of state and is represented by a Governor-General, and executive political power is exercised by the Cabinet of New Zealand.
Etymology
It is unknown whether the Māori had a name for New Zealand as a whole before the arrival of Europeans, although they referred to the North Island as Te Ika a Māui (the fish of Māui) and the South Island as Te Wai Pounamu (the waters of greenstone) or Te Waka o Aoraki (the canoe of Aoraki).
The name New Zealand originated with Dutch cartographers, who called the islands Nova Zeelandia, after the Dutch province of Zeeland, which is spelt "Zealand" in English and Zeelandic. Early maps labelled the islands North, Middle and South, with the current South Island then known as the Middle Island and Stewart Island as the South Island. Cook reached New Zealand in 1769 and mapped almost the entire coastline. Following Cook, New Zealand was visited by numerous European and North American whaling, sealing and trading ships. They traded European food and goods, especially metal tools and weapons, for Māori timber, food, artefacts, water, and on occasion sex. Busby failed to bring law and order to European settlement, but did oversee the introduction of the first national flag on 20 March 1834, after an unregistered New Zealand ship was seized in Australia. In October 1835, following an announcement of impending French sovereignty, the nebulous United Tribes of New Zealand sent the Declaration of the Independence of New Zealand to King William IV of the United Kingdom, asking him for protection. Control over native policy passed to the colonial government in the mid-1860s.
In 1863 Premier Alfred Domett moved a resolution that the capital transfer to a locality in Cook Strait, apparently due to concern that the South Island might form a separate colony. Commissioners from Australia (chosen for their neutral status) advised that Wellington was suitable because of its harbour and central location, and parliament officially sat there for the first time in 1865. although in practice Britain had long since ceased to play a significant role in governing New Zealand. As the country became more politically independent, however, it became more dependent economically; in the 1890s, refrigerated shipping allowed the export of meat and dairy products to Britain, a trade which provided the basis for strong economic growth in New Zealand.
The Parliament of New Zealand is the supreme legislative power and consists of the Sovereign (represented by the Governor-General) and the House of Representatives. Parliament consists of a single chamber, although up until 1950 there was a second chamber, consisting of an upper house known as the Legislative Council. The supremacy of the House over the Sovereign was established in England by the Bill of Rights 1689 and has been ratified as law in New Zealand. The House of Representatives is democratically elected and a Government is formed from the party or coalition with the majority of seats. If no majority is formed a minority government can be formed if support from other parties is obtained through confidence votes. The Governor-General appoints ministers of the Crown under advice from the Prime Minister, who is by convention, the Parliamentary leader of the governing party or coalition. Under this system the elections since 1930 have been dominated by two political parties, National and Labour. Criticism of the FPP system began in the 1950s and intensified after Labour lost the 1978 and 1981 elections despite having more overall votes than National. A form of proportional representation called Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) was voted in and has been ever since. Under the MMP system each person has two votes, one decides the 65 electoral seats (including seven reserved for the indigenous Māori people) through FPP and the other is for a party. The remaining 55 seats are assigned so that representation in parliament reflects the party vote. A party has to win one electoral seat or 5% of the total party vote before it is eligible for one of the 120 seats in Parliament.
"Beehive" and the Parliament Buildings, in Wellington]]
General elections are held every three years, with the last one in 2008 and the next due for 2011. National won the 2008 election ending nine years of Labour led Government. National leader John Key formed a coalition government, negotiating agreements with the ACT party, the United Future party and the Māori Party. This theoretically allows it to interpret the law based on policies passed by Parliament without other influences on their decision. The head of the judiciary is the Chief Justice and that position is cutrrently occupied by Dame Sian Elias. In 2009 there were plans to effectively create domestic flights between New Zealand and Australia, New Zealand is also a member of the United Nations,
In 1989, the government decentralised local government into the current two-tier structure of regional councils and territorial authorities. Territorial authorities are responsible for sewage, water, local roads, building consents and other local matters. that existed in 1975 have been consolidated into 73 territorial authorities and 11 regional councils.
Being a part of the monarchy makes New Zealand a "realm". The Cook Islands and Niue are self-governing in free association with New Zealand. d'Urville Island (in the Marlborough Sounds)
Climate
dominate the South Island, while the North Island's
Northland Peninsula stretches towards the subtropics.]]
The latitude of New Zealand, from approximately 34 to 47° S, corresponds closely to that of Italy in the Northern Hemisphere. However, its isolation from continental influences and exposure to cold southerly winds and ocean currents give the climate a much milder character. Several species, such as the
kakapo, the
black robin and the
takahe are the subject of intensive efforts to prevent their extinction.
New Zealand has led the world in island restoration projects, where offshore islands are cleared of introduced mammalian pests and native species are reintroduced. Several islands, including two of the Chatham Islands, are wildlife reserves where common pests such as possums and rodents have been eradicated to allow the reintroduction of endangered species to the islands. A more recent development is the analogous mainland ecological island. Active management has helped increase the population of certain species dramatically. For instance, only five Black Robins remained in 1980, including just one fertile female. There are now around 250, all descended from that one bird.
Economy
New Zealand has a modern, prosperous,
developed economy with an estimated GDP (PPP) of US$119.549 billion (2010). The country has a relatively high standard of living with an estimated GDP per capita of US$31,067 in 2010, comparable to that of
Southern Europe. which is a relatively high figure (it is around 50% for many smaller European countries). This makes New Zealand particularly vulnerable to international commodity prices and global
economic slowdowns. Its principal export industries are agriculture, horticulture,
fishing and forestry. These make up about half of the country's exports. Its major export partners are Australia 20.5%, US 13.1%, Japan 10.3%, China 5.4%, UK 4.9% (2006).
Tourism plays a significant role in New Zealand's economy. In 2010 the sector contributed $15.0 billion (or 9.1%) to New Zealand’s total GDP and supported 184,800 full-time equivalent jobs (9.6% of the total workforce in New Zealand).
The New Zealand dollar is the currency of New Zealand. It also circulates in the Cook Islands (see also Cook Islands dollar), Niue, Tokelau, and the Pitcairn Islands. It is sometimes informally known as the "Kiwi dollar".
The Economist magazine's outlook for New Zealand (2009) foresees the government's fiscal position to remain tenuous because of "weak revenue growth and rising expenditure". Government debt is expected to balloon from 25% (2008) to 40% (2013). GDP growth will contract in 2009 by 2.6%, then average 2.2% from 2010 to 2013 (although there are "downside risks" which may hamper this growth). Government will continue to pursue foreign trade. Inflation will be 1.4% in 2009, 1.3% in 2010 and average 2.3% from 2011 to 2013. The New Zealand dollar is expected to weaken against the dollar through 2010, but begin strengthening again beginning 2011 (but the report notes that exchange rates are volatile and hard to predict). This is a remarkable turnabout for a nation which has had a reputation for lackluster fashion – "Visiting diplomats have remarked upon the penchant among New Zealand women for short haircuts, backpacks and sensible shoes ... One ambassador accused them of dressing like soldiers; another said they looked as though they were going to a funeral."
Energy
In 2008, oil, gas and coal generated approximately sixty-nine percent of New Zealand's gross energy supply and thirty-one per cent was generated from
renewable energy, primarily
hydroelectric power and
geothermal power. The fertility rate is expected to decline over the next forty years, according to one estimate.
The life expectancy of a child born in 2008 was 82.4 years for a girl, and 78.4 years for a boy. Further, infant mortality is expected to decline substantially from 2009 to 2050. While the overall population is expected to grow to 5,349,000 in 2050, the median age (half younger, half older) will rise from 36 years in 2009 to 43 years in 2050 and the percentage of people sixty years of age and older will rise from 18% (2009) to 29% (2050).
Culture
fighting two sea creatures]]
band practice,
Napier]]
Overview
While New Zealand is culturally and linguistically part of
Polynesia, forming the south-western anchor of the
Polynesian Triangle, much of contemporary
New Zealand culture is derived from British roots. It also includes significant influences from American, Australian and Māori cultures, along with those of other European cultures and – more recently – non-Māori
Polynesian and
Asian cultures. Large festivals in celebration of
Diwali and
Chinese New Year are held in several of the larger centres. The world's largest Polynesian festival,
Pasifika, is an annual event in Auckland.
Cultural links between New Zealand and the United Kingdom are maintained by a common language, sustained migration from the United Kingdom, and many young New Zealanders spending time in the United Kingdom on their "overseas experience" (OE). The music and cuisine of New Zealand are similar to that of Australia, Canada, UK, and the US, although both have distinct New Zealand and Pacific qualities.
dancers at Auckland's Pasifika festival]]
Māori culture has undergone considerable change since the arrival of Europeans; in particular the introduction of Christianity in the early 19th century brought about fundamental change in everyday life. Nonetheless the perception that most Māori now live similar lifestyles to their Pākehā neighbours is a superficial one. In fact, Māori culture has significant differences, for instance the important role which the marae and the extended family continue to play in communal and family life.
As in traditional times, Māori habitually perform karakia to ensure the favourable outcome of important undertakings, but today the prayers used are generally Christian. Māori still regard their allegiance to tribal groups as a vital part of personal identity, and Māori kinship roles resemble those of other Polynesian peoples.
As part of the resurgence of Māori culture that came to the fore in the late 20th century, the tradition-based arts of kapa haka (song and dance), carving and weaving are now more widely practiced, and the architecture of the marae maintains strong links to traditional forms. Māori also value their connections to Polynesia, as attested by the increasing popularity of waka ama (outrigger canoe racing), which is now an international sport involving teams from all over the Pacific.
Te reo Māori
clothing.]]
Use of the Māori language (
te reo Māori) as a living, community language remained only in a few remote areas in the post-war years, but is currently undergoing a
process of revitalisation, However, partly in recognition of the importance of Māori culture to New Zealand, the language was declared one of New Zealand's official languages in 1987.
Film industry
Although films have been made in New Zealand since the 1920s, it was only from the 1970s that
New Zealand films began to be produced in significant numbers. Films such as
Sleeping Dogs and
Goodbye Pork Pie achieved local success and launched the careers of actors and directors including
Sam Neill,
Geoff Murphy and
Roger Donaldson. In the early 1990s, New Zealand films such as
Jane Campion's Academy Award-winning film
The Piano,
Lee Tamahori's
Once Were Warriors and
Peter Jackson's
Heavenly Creatures began to garner international acknowledgement.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Jackson filmed The Lord of the Rings film trilogy in New Zealand, using mostly New Zealand crew and extras. Whale Rider, originally a novel by Witi Ihimaera, was produced in 2002 and received recognition from various festivals and awards. New Zealand features as a primary or additional location for many international productions, examples include , Bridge to Terabithia and Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai.
Media
The New Zealand media industry is dominated by a small number of companies, most of which are foreign-owned, although the state retains ownership of some television and radio stations. New Zealand television broadcasts mostly American and British programming, along with a large number of Australian and New Zealand shows.
The Broadcasting Standards Authority and the New Zealand Press Council can investigate allegations of bias and inaccuracy in the broadcast and print media. Combined with New Zealand's libel laws, this means that the New Zealand news media is fairly tame by international standards, but also reasonably fair and impartial. New Zealand receives high rankings in press freedom. Between 2003 and 2008, Reporters Without Borders has consistently ranked the country in the top twenty, placing it seventh in 2008. and is reputedly the second most popular sport in the country, with one source stating there are 98,000 registered cricket players.
Horse racing is a popular spectator sport which has spawned such national icons as Cardigan Bay and Phar Lap, and was part of the traditional "Rugby, Racing and Beer" culture.
New Zealand is also well known for its extreme sports and adventure tourism.
Citations
External links
New Zealand from UCB Libraries GovPubs
Government
New Zealand Government portal
Ministry for Culture and Heritage – includes information on flag, anthems and coat of arms
Statistics New Zealand
Other
Te Ara, The Encyclopedia of New Zealand
New Zealand Plant Conservation Network website for information about the indigenous flora and species of introduced weed and animal pest
New Zealand weather
NZHistory.net.nz New Zealand history website
Travel
Tourism New Zealand
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Category:Oceanian countries
Category:Archipelagoes of the Pacific Ocean
Category:Constitutional monarchies
Category:English-speaking countries and territories
Category:States and territories established in 1840
Category:Former British colonies
Category:Island countries
Category:Liberal democracies
Category:Members of the Commonwealth of Nations
Category:Polynesia
Category:Zealandia (continent)
